Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-03-07-Speech-1-056-000"
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"en.20110307.17.1-056-000"2
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"Mr President, there is no point in repeating that the current situation is the most serious test of the survival of the euro and, therefore, of Europe. The Podimata report opens the way for constructive solutions, so I would congratulate our fellow Member on the ideas she puts forward.
The seriousness of the situation does not result from the euro area as a whole having an excessive deficit or external debt, but rather from the persistent and serious divergence of its component economies under the impact of common policy. We lack instruments that would enable convergence between these economies, which would enable Europe to regain its balance, which would enable Europe to grow.
Let us be clear: at the current level of integration, and considering the diversity of their component economies, the euro area and the European Union will not survive with a budget of 1% of their collective wealth. In practice, following the crisis, the only solution that we were able to construct was to prescribe austerity, and it is working people and companies that are now paying for the deficits created by the speculative crisis of the financial sector, to the salvation of which the European Union has committed 26% of its wealth.
It is true that the financial transaction tax (FTT), levied at a very low rate, for example 0.05%, on extremely speculative transactions involving high risk products, will have to be paid for by consumers of such products. However, why should they not pay, if the ordinary people pay value added tax on bread, milk and other staples? The tax burden has to be redistributed so as to harm fewer working people and companies, and shared more equally with the financial and, in particular, the speculative sectors.
Commissioner, I do not think that the Commission should currently be rejecting or avoiding the clear political message that Parliament is giving it. The public consultation cannot exclude analysis of the FTT: on the contrary, its analysis must be given the highest priority."@en1
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